Eau Claire Organizers Hand Out Gas Cards Amid Rising Prices

Officials from Opportunity Wisconsin gave away some free gas cards in downtown Eau Claire on Friday afternoon.

Organizers say the event aimed to give Eau Claire area residents a bit of a break on gas as affordability concerns continue to impact them on the roads, with housing, and at the grocery store. State Representative Jodi Emerson also attended the event, highlighting some of the ways higher gas prices are affecting other affordability concerns.

“You know we think of, like, the cost of housing, well we need to build more houses and apartments,” she said. “And in order to do that, products need to be shipped here, whether it is, you know, an oven, a 2×4, shingles, whatever. And when diesel costs as much as it does, that means that it’s going to be more expensive to ship that stuff here. Which means it’s just that much more out of range for the average person to ever be able to upscale or in some cases downscale to a new place as well.”

State Representative Emerson also noted that while the State government may have limited options to provide relief for residents at the gas pumps, there are other areas where it could be working to improve affordability.

“But it also is, what is our state doing for shared revenue,” she said. “Do our cities have the resources that they need or school districts have the resources that they need? Or making sure that our universities and tech schools have the resources that they need so that people can make sure that we’ve got the police and fire and that local entities of government aren’t asking to go to referendum and put more money on the taxpayers all the time.”

In a press release, Opportunity Wisconsin officials said gas prices have increased by more than a dollar per gallon over the last year, exacerbated by the continuing conflict in Iran, and that experts don’t expect relief at the pump until at least mid-2027.